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All of this is smart and brave, but I REALLY love the part about why girls "just lose interest" in tech. As the godmother of a 14 year old girl, I've become SO MUCH more aware of the fact that nerdy boys that age seem to often have little to do BUT learn programming... while https://twitter.com/espiers/status/1361025075831574529
nerdy girls that age are starting to come under IMMENSE social pressure to learn how to use cosmetics, do their hair, maintain a wide social circle, either get serious about ballet/sports or drop out, volunteer, explore aspects of their identities, and a million other things.
I myself did not really learn to program until I was almost 30 years old, and I've always been pretty comfortable with failure -- having experienced a LOT of it! -- but I can definitely see a very slightly more self-critical me who didn't take this path.
Obviously there are a lot of boys who like computers but also do sports, volunteer work, etc. But I've noticed so many of my techie friends sort of offer up learning to program as an activity for their sons who aren't particularly good at sports/music/etc in a way that I don't
hear about as much for their daughters who seem more overscheduled in the first place.
